The Key To Success
by Jet'sFan15
Summary: Chad Cooper is an aspiring actor. He has a job lined up, but he's fired before he starts. He turns to his uncle who owns another studio. He offers Chad a job as a mailman, but when he gets the chance, he impersonates a newcomer to Sonny Monroe's hit show. Once Sonny and he develop a relationship, he has to keep his mail secret from her and his actor secret from his uncle.
1. Chapter 1

Success - noun

the accomplishment of an aim or purpose

To me, success isn't the destination, it's the journey. In order to succeed, the desire for success has to be stronger than the fear of failure. A million things could potentially go wrong, but all you need is one right. After years of dreaming about triumphing in the world of Hollywood, I've decided that I'm finally going to start doing.

This isn't exactly thrilling my mother, however. Since I'm moving out to California, I guess she's trying to savor every waking moment with me - and every sleeping moment too. We are currently in my bedroom. I lay in my bed as she reads me my favorite children's book, Dr. Seuss's _Oh, The Places You'll Go_. Rather significant, don't you think?

"You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting," she says enthusiastically, as if she is reading to a child. Her tone then turns serious, "so go...get on your way."

She's closes the book and sets it on my bedside table.

"You know, your cousin Jack went off to Hollywood a normal boy. Came back with half his head shaved and a ring through his nose," Mom sighed, shaking his head.

"Mom, there's a whole new world out there, big, exciting. I've got a nice job lined up. Sure, I'm not gonna be any Donald Trump, but I'll make some money. I don't wanna be known as just another boy from Kansas. I wanna be famous. I wanna be rich. I wanna do what I love. All these years of acting lessons and college drama plays, they're gonna finally start paying off," I promise.

Once I conclude my speech, I give my mom a hug and go to sleep in this bed for the last time.

* * *

There it is: the Hollywood sign. I've dreamed of seeing it my whole life. The gigantic letters spell out more than just another city: the spell out the key to success. They spell out hope and dreams. This is definitely where I want to be, where I need to be.

I take to bus to my apartment and soon enter into the small room. Cobwebs are everywhere and a terrible stench feels the area. As I unpack my boxes, I hear the voice of an old lady yelling at her husband.

"Marv! My mother is coming over so put some clothes on!" she screeches.

How charming.

"Your mother's an idiot!" Marv yelled.

"You're an idiot!"

"Takes one to know one, Agnes!" he shouted.

"You say that again and I'm history!" she threatened.

"Oh yeah? Takes on to know one, Agnes! Why are you still here?"

They continue to bicker for the rest of the night. Sure, this place isn't the Plaza hotel or anything, but every big star always starts out with a small apartment, right?

* * *

As I walk into the studio, I begin to feel alive. All the hustle and bustle make me excited and anxious all at the same time. This could be my big break. No, this _is _my big break. I'm tired of dreaming so I'm gonna start doing. I'm already pretty successful, according to Woody Allen. He says that "eighty percent of being successful is showing up".

"Excuse me," I say, approaching the front lady. "Where's Mr. Prescott's office?"

She lazily points to the right hallway. I presume she is busy, considering the fact that she is rustling through papers like lightening. I thank her and walk down the hallway and walk into the room where I see a man picking up folders at a desk. On the desk sits a name plate with the words "Mr. Prescott" embroidered on it.

"Mr. Prescott?" I ask.

"Yeah?" he asks, not looking up.

"I'm Chad Cooper. I start work here today," I explain, extending my hand for him to shake.

"Sorry, kid. You're fired."

* * *

**Please review if you want more. If you like it, tell me what you like so I can continue doing it. If you don't like it, tell me what you don't like so I can stop doing it. I'm shooting for 15 reviews so please review. Also, Sonny will come in. This story is defiantly Channy. Chad's gonna have to find another job, and it just so happens that his uncle owns Condor Studios...**


	2. Chapter 2

**To start off, I guess I was a little in over my head by asking my readers to review 15 times. So I want to know this: should I quit this? I don't want to write it if no one will read. So please tell me if I should quit or not. But, on the plus side, I did get 1 review so big thank you to iWant9Lives2Live. Even if you are my only reader, if there happens to be someone else who is reading this, then go read her stories, they're ama-Zayn! Now, back to the story.**

* * *

"Fired?" I ask in shock. "But I just got here."

He went on, I ignoring my question.

"We all saw it coming, but we looked for a miracle. That miracle never happened," he explains, packing up his papers and such.

"What _did _happen?" I ask, suddenly starting to worry about my next move in Hollywood.

"Richard Condor. That's what happened. His shows became so popular that no one wanted to watch ours. We're only do one show so that means that 95% of people in this building. You are one of those 95%."

"But Mr. Prescott, I was counting on this job. What do I do now?" I ask in desperation.

"That's not my concern," he said, shutting his briefcase and walking out of the room.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cooper, but you just don't have enough experience," the interviewer explained.

I decided that I was going to have to kind another job similar to my previous, three second one.

"But how do I get experience until I get a job that gives me experience?" I ask.

"If I gave you this job just to give you experience, then you'd take that experience and get a better job. Then, that experience would benefit someone else," he told me.

"Yeah, but I've done dramas in high school _and _college so in a sense, I already have experience," I say hopefully.

The interviewer, Mr. Forbush, just laughs.

"What you have is play experience, not the TV experience we're looking for. If you had taken the time you spent in college to do commercials and such, we might consider you," he explains.

"Then why did I go to college?" I ask, sitting back in my seat.

"You had fun, didn't ya?" he laughed.

I look at him, clearly unamused.

* * *

"What impresses me most is the amount of experience you picked up while still attending college," the next interviewer, Mrs. Jameson, says.

I decided that I wasn't going to get anywhere in this town without bending the truth a little.

"You've done 21 commercials, you've been an extra in two movies, and you were in 10 plays in college," she says, reading off my application. She lays it down in amazement. "Outstanding."

I grin, but my face starts to fall.

"You're not gonna tell me that I have too much experience, are you?" I ask helplessly.

She laughs, "Of course not. You're perfect for the job. Except this role calls for-"

"No. No exceptions. Everywhere I've been today, I've been told that I'm too old, too young, too short, too tall. But I can be older. I can be taller. I can be anything."

"Can you be a hispanic woman?" she asks.

I look at her, impotent.

* * *

"Mom, I'm doing great," I lie from the phone booth.

"Is it dirty? Are the people rude?"

I shake my head, "Mom, California is just like Kansas."

I then hear a gunshot.

"Intensified," I finish.

Suddenly, a mob of people come out of a local store, the bell ringing, signaling a burglary. A large woman comes out, waving her arms, yelling, "Police help!"

"What's that noise?" she asks impatiently.

"Oh, mom, it's just the TV," I lie, closing the phone booth to block out the noise.

"But it sounds so real," she says skeptically.

"It's CSI," I explain.

"Well, turn it down. I can barely hear you," she commands.

"I can't. I lost the remote," I lie.

Just then, a bullet broke the glass in the phone booth. I bend down and cover my head, phone still in hand.

"Did you call your Uncle Richard?" she asks me.

"Uncle Richard?" I ask, confused.

"Yes, the one that owns Condor Studios," she explains.

"Oh, that Uncle Richard," I nod, another bullet going through the phone booth.

"Do you have his still have his number?" she asks.

"Yeah, I've got it right here," I say, pulling it out of my jacket.

"Make sure you call him," she tells me.

The screaming continues and the guns keep going off so she says, "and get the TV fixed while you're at it."

"Yeah, listen, I gotta go. Tell Dad I love him," I say.

"I will. I love you, Chad," she says.

"Love you too. Bye," I say, nervously hanging up the phone.

I stay in the phone booth until the criminals are captured. I look down at the the number.

This is my last chance.

* * *

After being rejected at six different studios, I go to my uncle's studio. I wanted to make it on my own, but now there's no other option. I am _not _going back to Kansas.

"Hi," I say as I approach the desk of the front lady.

The blankly stares at me so I go on.

"I'd like to see Mr. Condor, please," I request.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asks.

"Well, I tried to, but I couldn't get through so I thought I'd surprise him," I say hopefully.

"Mr. Condor doesn't like surprises," she informs me.

"Everyone likes surprises," I shrug.

"Not Mr. Condor."

She shakes her head and gets out a piece of paper.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Um, Chad Cooper," I say.

"Of?"

"Uh, Kansas."

She looks at me, "Of what studio?"

I look around and don't answer.

"What do you need to see him about?"

"About being his nephew," I tell her.

She dials a number.

"Mr. Condor, you're nephew is here to see you."

Pause.

"His name is Chad Cooper of Kansas," she says, looking at me, about to laugh.

Pause.

"Mr. Condor will see you know."

Suddenly, I hear shouting and the words, "You're fired!".

"It can't be good for his heart to yell like that," I tell her.

"He doesn't have a heart," she says.

I frown and walk to the direction she points to.

I quietly open the door of his office and walk in.

"So, you're one of the Kansas Coopers, huh?" he says cruelly.

"Listen, I know you probably told your secretary to get me out of here in five minutes-"

"Two," he corrects.

"Right, so I'm going to get to the point: I need a job Uncle Richard," I say desperately.

"Around here I'm Mr. Condor," he says, glaring at me.

"Why do you even want to work at Condor Studios?" he asks.

"It's a great studio."

"But what can you do for us, Chad? What experience do you have?" he asks.

"Practically none of what you're looking for," I sigh, "but I believe in myself. Doesn't that count? Deep down inside I know that I can do anything if I get the chance."

He doesn't reply so I continue.

"Think back to when you were my age. Remember how you felt when you applied for that first, real job. Remember how you wanted it so badly that you couldn't sleep the night before the interview. Remember when the guy crushed your dreams when he said, "What kind of experience do you have?" You wanted to shake him and say, "I can do anything if I just get the chance"."

"Ok, kid, you're in the front door. But what you do on this side of it is up to you," I say.


	3. Chapter 3

Remember how I said that I could do anything if I just got the chance? I meant that I could act out anything if I just got the chance. Apparently, I didn't make that clear because here I am, learning the ropes of my new job: mail man at Condor Studios. I should be thankful that I have a job with some incoming revenue, but I know that I can contribute more to the studio if I was an actor here. But maybe someday I'll be able to act on a show and become a TV heartthrob. Ok, the second one is probably not plausible, but a guy can dream.

"I'm Chad Cooper. I start work here today," I tell the head mailman here at the studio.

"Josh, get over here!" he yells.

As Josh walks over here, the head mailman begins to talk again.

"Listen to what he (Josh) says and do what he does," he says.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"Don't use the stamp machine for personal letters and stay out of my way," he instructs.

I nod.

"Got any questions?" he asks me.

"Yeah, what do I call you?" I ask.

"Call me God," he says, not an ounce of humor in his voice.

"Yeah, Boss?" Josh asks "God" (his real name is Mr. Smith).

"Show Chad the ropes and keep him out of my way," he says harshly.

"Alright, Boss," he says.

He leads me around the mail and begins to give me instructions.

"Everything is copacetic. Here's the order: So Random, Rosie Falls, Hoosier Girl, Tween Gladiators, iMarly, and Werewolves of Waverly Place. Crew always comes before cast. Boss thinks it takes two hours; I can do it ten minutes," he says.

"Is there any way you can promoted out of the mail room?" I ask.

He scoffs, "You can't even get paroled out of the mail room."

He leads me out of the mail room and into the main hallways.

"Good morning," I say to someone in some weird armor.

"Not with the stars," he says.

We continue to walk and a thin teenager boy is in my way so I say, "Excuse me."

As I walk past him, I say, "Good morning."

"Stop. Don't consort with the stars," he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You never talk to a star unless they talk to you first," he says.

"That's ridiculous. I'm a person. He's a person. I can't initiate a conversation with him?" I ask.

"He's not a person; he's a star. There's a big difference," he says.

We continue to walk until I see a beautiful girl with long black hair wearing a purple, 3 quarter length leather jacket, a pink skirt, and a gray patterned shirt talking to her friends.

I guess Josh sees me staring because he starts to laugh.

"No way, Cooper. You and Sonny Monroe? That's rich. Look, you have zero chance with that girl. She's the star of the number one show on television, and you're her mailman," Josh says.

"She's the most incredible looking woman I've ever seen in my life," I say, disregarding everything he just said.

"She's also a star," Josh says.

I'm starting to get tired of this star talk.

"What's she like?" I ask.

He shrugged.

"Come on. What do you know about her?" I beg.

"I know enough to not consort with a star," he says. "Even if they do have legs like hers."

I look at him, waiting for more information.

"She's supposedly America's Sweetheart, but from what I hear, she's a Devil In Disguise," he says.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask in disbelief.

"She treats everyone like crap, and she puts herself on a pedestal. Don't trust her interviews. They're basically scripted," he informs me.

* * *

The next morning, I begin my rounds, starting with _So Random!_. I give the crew their mail and then start with the cast.

I knock on Tawni Hart's door and she says, "Come in!"

"Here's your mail," I say, holding it up as if for proof.

"Set it in my chair," she says, not looking up from filing her nails. definatly

I set it down and slowly start to walk out.

"This is a nice room you've got here," I say.

"Why are you talking to me?" she asks looking up. "Oh, who are you?"

"I'm Chad Cooper, new employee," I say proudly.

"Well, you're definitely a step up from Josh," she flirts.

"Josh seems like a nice guy," I shrug.

"Everything is not what it seems," Tawni smiles. "But it does seem like you're new here and you could use a step up in the world of Hollywood, considering you're a mailman."

She starts to walk over to me.

"Gee, I don't know-"

"Just to let you know, you're welcome here anytime you like," she smiles.

"Thanks. I'll remember that," I say, grabbing my cart and walking out.

A letter falls and so does it's contents. I pick it up and since I'm intrigued, I read it.

It states: "Dear Mr. Condor,

I have decided to resign from the position of Martin in the show, R-"

I stop. I shouldn't be reading mail, let alone my boss's. I don't want to get fired on my first day. But I do catch the name at the bottom: Jack Jackson.

As I finish my rounds at _So Random!_, I spot a door with the words "Costume Closet". For some reason, these words intrigued me so I take my cart and go inside. I park my cart behind the door. I spot a brown wig for a guy and for some reason, I put it on. Then, the knob turns and I see someone.

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

Crap.


	4. Chapter 4

"Huh? Oh! I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't be in here. I just wasn't quite sure-"

"What's your name?" the man repeats

"Um, Jack Jackson," I say, not wanting to get in trouble.

"Jack Jackson! Finally, you're here! You better get down to Rosie Falls!" he says. "You're all they've been talking about!"

He grabs my shoulder and leads me out of the closet, my cart being the only remaining object of mine.

"Wait, what's your name?" I ask.

"Marshall Pike. I'm the director of _So Random!_. I know that Rosie Falls is our competitor and all, but I don't want to get you lost on your first day," he says.

We arrive at Studio 2, Rosie Falls. Mr. Pike leads me over to a man in the director's chair.

"David, here he is. Jack Jackson!" Mr. Pike tells the man who I'm presuming is the director.

"Jack! We didn't think you were ever gonna show. But it's all good now. Sorry we had to do the audition over the phone, but I know you we're busy. Glad to see we picked a good looking guy! Look at that face!" he exclaims to Mr. Pike. "All the ladies'll go wild! First, we're gonna do a little compatibility test between you and Sonny. I know I promised you the job, but there has to be chemistry! Sonny!"

Then, the gorgeous woman who I was looking at earlier walked up to us.

"Yeah?" she asked dully.

"This is your new love interest, Jack Jackson. Jack, this is Sonny Monroe, but I'm sure you already knew that. Let's go into the screening room and try out a couple scenes," he says, leading us into the small room with nothing but a green screen and a camera.

"Jack, why don't you start on page 6?" Mr. David(?) suggested.

I took me a couple seconds to realize that he was talking to me. I quickly flipped through the pages. I fake bump into her and her invisible books fall to the ground. We both bend down to pick the nonexistqnt textbooks up.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there," she says, having memorized her lines.

"No, I did that on purpose. I just wanted to get a better look at you."

Her expression turns quizzical.

"You're a knockout," I say, meaning every word of it.

She smiles the most heavenly smile I've ever seen in my life.

"Flip over to page 28. We need to try out a kissing scene," David says.

I must have just died and gone to heaven. My first day of work and I get to kiss Sonny Monroe.

"Now, you told us you could sing and play piano, right?"

Luckily, I can. Whether I'm good at the first part is up to whoever listens.

"Yeah," I nod nervously.

"Great!" he grins and before I know it, a man brings in a bench and another rolls in a piano. He sets sheet music out and then walks off.

"Just do as the script says," David tells me.

I nod faintly and sit on the bench. I begin to play "Can't Help Falling In Love" and sing it "huskily" as the script says.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you," I sing, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Shall, I stay," she begins, taking over with the piano. Her voice is the most majestic sound I have ever heard, "would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you."

As she sings, our faces get closer and closer and her voice falls to a whisper. We lean in and share a gentle kiss.

The director goes wild.

"I haven't seen chemistry like this since who knows how long!" he exclaims.

I smile widely at him and then look over to see Sonny. She looks...bored, almost as if she isn't interested. I guess she doesn't care about kissing someone who isn't a star.

"This is great! Mr. Condor will love this. How about we have him come down tomorrow and watch our first show?" he suggested.

"What?!"


	5. Chapter 5

I walk into the mailroom the next morning. I have recently been informed that Mr. Condor will not be attending due to his "delightful daughter" visiting today. My plan for the day is the following:

9:00 AM - Deliver mail to _So Random! _(note that I will not be delivering the mail to Tawni Hart, considering she may slow me down)

9:15 AM - Deliver mail to _Rosie Falls_ without getting too close to the cast and crew (note that the plan for delivering Sonny Monroe's mail is a completely different step in itself, considering our faces have come within a centimeter of each other)

9:25 AM - Walk into the supply closet closest to _Rosie Falls_. Park my cart behind the door and grab the wig I planted in there last night.

9:30 AM - Arrive at _Rosie Falls_. Start a dialogue with the cast and crew.

9:45 AM - Start Table Reading.

10:00 AM (?) - When a scene without your's truly pops up, request to use the restroom. Walk into the supply closet, plant wig, grab cart, and walk outside to deliver to _Hoosier Girl_.

10:20 AM - Repeat step from 9:25 AM.

10:25 AM - Explain to the director's that I had to help a cafeteria lady with delivering boxes.

(When any fairly long scene without me in it appears, make up various excuses (i.e. sore throat, upset stomach, mom's calling) and repeat step from 10:00 AM, delivering mail to _Tween Gladiators, iMarly, and Werewolves of Waverly Place,_ in that exact order.)

11:00 AM - Lunch break. (If unable to deliver mail to all shows, do so at this time.) Expecting that my wig will still be on, go to lunch with my cast.

11:30 AM - After excusing myself from the table, sneak into Sonny Monroe's dressing room and deliver mail.

11:45 AM - Go back to the _Rosie Falls _cast and rejoin the cast.

At 12:00, when our lunch break is over, rehearsal starts. My strategy is to do the same as last time, except for instead of delivering, I'll have to go sort out the mail for tomorrow. The final step is to deliver Tawni's mail at the end of the day, saying that I wanted to talk to her exclusively. It's basically a foolproof plan.

I pull my cart out of the mail room and run down the hallways as soon as I'm out of sight. Once I pick up speed, I put both of my feet on the bottom rung of the cart and fly down to _So Random!_ even faster.

"Marshall, mail!" I grin, rolling into his office, stopping my cart, and slapping a stack of letters in his hand.

"You didn't read it, did you?" he joked.

I shook my head as if the idea were preposterous. He thanked me and I left to deliver to the rest of the crew.

As I was riding out the door, I yelled, "I would take your mom up on that offer for bingo on Thursday!"

I could hear him laughing as I rode away.

Finishing my deliveries to the crew, I begin with the cast. I take a look at my watch: 9:07. I've got time.

I have a feeling that the cast likes me. Probably because they are the least popular show on the lot so they don't count as "stars". I don't know why; I've seem the show once or twice, and it's pretty funny. Sure, some of it is a little cheesy, but what good show isn't?

"Nico, Grady, mail!" I announce, knocking on their door. After a couple seconds of them not answering, I open the door and walk inside to find no one there so I lay down their mail on each of their desks (they're really vanities but they think they're too manly for that).

Lastly, I hand Zora's mail through a hole in the vent. She even set up a ladder to make it easier on me. I then run down the hallways to Stage 2. I take a quick look at my watch - 9:15. Right on schedule.

I exchange the mail with the crew quickly and then give the rest to the cast, except for Sonny. No words were exchanged. Not even a simple "thank you" was muttered.

I then head to the supply closet. I park my cart behind the door as I turn on the light. I slide my jeans off and underneath them are my khakis. I keep on my white button up and slide my tie down from behind my ears (please no questions; let's just say that I had to get creative). I then grab my coat from beneath my cart and slip it on. The final step is putting on my wig, which I do with ease.

I peak out the creak of the door to make sure no one's there. Finding that no one is, I surreptitiously sneak out and head to the set.

"Jack!" exclaims the director. "You're here! Let's give you a chance to meet the whole cast, shall we?"

I nod, "I'd like that."

"Chole!" he calls.

A young, pretty girl comes over instantaneously.

"Yes?" she asks eagerly.

"This is your new cast mate, Jack Jackson."

"Nice to meet you," she nods, although I'm sure she doesn't entirely mean it.

"You too," I grin.

"That's Skyler," he says, pointing to a guy about my size. "He doesn't do well with new people, but he's a great guy once you get to know him."

"That's Marta," he says, gesturing to a girl who walks over to us.

"Marta, this is Jack Jackson, your new cast mate," he introduces.

"Yeah, I need a new dressing room," she says, completely ignoring me.

"What's wrong with yours?" he asks, forefingers on his temples.

"I think Chloe's lesbian so she can't be in the same dressing room," she says.

What a diva!

"Chloe has a boyfriend," David informs her.

"I don't care! I want my own dressing room!" she yells, stomping off.

"She's a good actress..." he explains.

I nod, scared.

"That's Ferguson. He's...a real method actor. You're characters hate each other so...good luck with that."

I sigh and Sonny walks out. A smile instantly appears across my face.

"And of course you know Sonny," he grins, seeing the smile on my face.

She walks over to the table reading room and walks inside. Soon, we all end up there. After the first scene, as Sonny is reading her line, an unexpected guest walks in.

"Mr. Condor!" David exclaims. "What a surprise!"

I turn to face the opposite direction in my swivel chair, covering my face.

"Well, I thought I should see my new actor in the zone so here I am...with my lovely daughter," he smiles.

I rest my elbow on the table and slowly look back, my fingers still covering my face. He looks at me strangely. I quickly turn back around.

Thinking on the spot, I grab my tie and press it against my nose. I stand up from my chair and rush out.

"Oh my goodness! Nose bleed! Dry heat! Get 'em all the time!" I explain, shutting the door.

As I run out I only think one thing: _He's got to know._


	6. Chapter 6

NO ONE'S POV

"Who was that?" Mr. Condor asked David in shock.

"That's the new boy, Jack Jackson," David exclaimed.

Mr. Condor rushed out; for some strange reason, the boy was somehow familiar to him.

Chad ran out and ran into his closet, shutting the door right before Mr. Condor entered the hallway. He looked around and seeing nothing, suspiciously walking back into the room where the table reading was held. He huffed and sat down.

_"Jack Jackson looks so familiar..." _Mr. Condor thought. _"Why can't I place him?"_

Everyone looked at him, scared since the anger could be seen from a mile away.

* * *

Chad, on the other hand, quickly switched out of his "Martin" clothes and into his mail clothes. He decided to go ahead and deliver all the mail now (with the exception of Sonny and Tawni) since he couldn't go back in there with his uncle. Now, of course, Mr. Condor hadn't known him for long, but he was sure he would remember his face after their one on one conversation. After delivering the mail, he went back to his closet and changed back for lunch. He walked to the cafeteria and got his food. A lean steak with a side of creamy mashed potatoes sat on his plate and a thick smoothie rested in his hand. He went to the _Rosie Falls_ table and sat down. The rest of the shows started to file in, one by one. Last was his own. Sonny rushed over to him, which excited him.

"What were you thinking?!" she snapped.

He suddenly frowned. Her tone was quite harsh for someone so beautiful.

"I told you guys: dry heat," he shrugged.

"I don't care if you break every bone in your stupid body; no one runs out of the room when Mr. Condor is there. Do you want us cancelled?" she screeched.

"I-" he began before she interrupted him.

"I don't care," she stated, holding up her hand. "Just don't mess up again or you'll be dead in this town before you were even alive!"

And with that, she pranced over to get her food. Skyler sat down.

"Hey," Chad nodded.

Skyler started to breathe heavily, "Oh, no. New person."

"I'm sorry?" Chad asked, believing that he heard him wrong.

Skyler's breathing increased, and he put his legs in his chair, against his chest. He sat, rocking back in forth in terror.

Chloe was the second to arrive at the table.

"Hi!" she greeted in an overly peppy tone.

This, however, didn't bother Chad. He would rather talk to an overly nice person than someone like Skyler. Chole rushed over to hug Skyler, and he cringed.

"Too close," he winced. "Too close."

She let go soon enough and walked over to Chad. She gave him a hug as well.

"It's so nice of you to join us! We love new people here at _Rosie Falls_!" she sang.

Skyler didn't chime in; he just sat there, repeating "Too close."

Ferguson was third.

He glared at Chad. "This is my territory. And Rosie is mine!" he growled.

"Huh? Look, Ferguson-"

"Call me Devon!" he barked.

"Ok...Devon, I don't like "Rosie". She's not even real," he stated.

"Lies!" Ferguson roared. "Rosie is a million times better than you will ever be, Martin!"

"My name is Ch-Jack. Jack Jackson."

"Again with the lies! Do you ever stop?" and with that, he stormed out of the room.

"Does this happen every day?" Chad asked Chole.

"No, he's never had an enemy on the show except for you," she answered nonchalantly.

Marta was second to last.

"OMG! The food here is totes disgusting!" she winced.

"Steak and lobster's disgusting?" Chad muttered to himself. "Gosh, these people lead such farfetched lives."

Sonny was the last.

"Ok, that lunch lady needs some new deodorant...bad."

This hurt Chad. While he was walking in this morning, he saw her struggling with some boxes outside of the cafeteria. Like the gentleman he is, he offered her a helping hand and naturally she obliged him.

"So how long have you been working here?" Chad asked as they took the boxes inside.

"25 years. I had to put my dollar through college. Every penny went to her education. And she deserved it. Now, she's a nurse, married to a mechanical engineer," she bragged.

Chad smiled at this.

As they finished unloading the boxes, the lunch lady, Judy, said, "Thank you. Ya know, out of all the 25 years I've worked here, you're the first person to offer me help."

"Really? Where I come from that's just bad manners," he told her.

"I don't think half the people here even know the definition of manners," she sighed. "But thank you. You're a very sweet young man."

He smiled at her and said, "You're welcome."

He then went on his way.

He knew that this woman was poor. She couldn't help if she smelt bad. But, too nervous about what the others would say, he didn't stand up for her. He just sat there in silence.

About 10 minutes before their lunch break was over, Chad excused himself and went to Sonny's dressing room. He decided against changing back into himself, considering the fact that everyone was at lunch and he would only have to turn back into Jack in ten minutes. He opened to door, letter's in hand, and sat them on her vanity.

"Man," he sighed to himself, "this isn't a dressing room. This is an apartment."

It was covered in everything a spoiled girl could want - jacuzzi, makeup station, closet the size of his apartment. Unable to help himself, he snooped around. He ended up looking through her pictures. She looked like such a normal little kid, not all done up and prim and proper, but normal,, the way kids are supposed to be. He wondered if there was still that little kid somewhere inside her.

Too oblivious to notice any outside noises, he failed to hear the sound of a knob turning and a door creaking.

"What are you doing in here?!"


End file.
